Crotepoxide has been shown to possess significant tumor-inhibitory activity against a variety of experimental tumors. We propose to develop a general approach to the synthesis of this molecule, which should allow as well for the production of analogues of crotepoxide and other similar cytotoxic derivatives. The approach to the molecule involves as a key step the Diels-Alder reaction between benzoyloxymethylvinylene carbonate and E,E-1-acetoxy-4-trimethylsilyl-1,3-butadiene. The adduct of this reaction (a cyclohexene derivative with the acetate function vicinal to the benzoyloxymethyl function and all groups cis about the cyclohexene ring except for the benzoyloxymethyl group) should be converted into the target molecule, crotepoxide, by a series of resonable steps. We are especially interested in investigating the proposed allylic silane to allylic alcohol rearrangement.